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In a first, Punjab deputes teachers, clerks as transport officers to ‘curb corruption’
Punjab government appoints 22 officials as assistant transport officers to combat corruption in the transport department amid ongoing investigations.
Schoolteachers, clerks and food and civil supplies officials were among 22 who were deputed by the Punjab government to serve as assistant transport officers (ATOs) on Monday. The move, according to the government, aims at curbing the “rampant corrupt activities” in the transport department, particularly at the field office level.
The decision comes in the wake of an ongoing investigation by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) that has unearthed widespread “irregularities” in issuance of driving licences besides in other transport-related services. Instances of bribes being paid to bypass mandatory driving tests and the use of proxies during tests have been reported across multiple districts.
The state transport department has selected 22 officials from varied backgrounds for deputation as ATOs. Among those appointed are Gurmit Singh, a commerce teacher; Shaminder Singh, a Hindi teacher; and Manpreet Kaur, a social studies teacher. Clerical staff from deputy commissioners’ offices, officials from the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, food and civil supplies department and even a senior assistant from a university have also been brought in.
The appointments aim to introduce transparency and accountability in a department long plagued by graft. The vigilance bureau has so far registered 16 FIRs in the ongoing probe, arrested three officials and booked three district transport officers (DTOs), two of whom are currently absconding.
According to the orders issued by transport secretary Varun Roojam, the deputation will initially be for three years. The performance of the newly appointed ATOs would be monitored and evaluated regularly, the order mentioned. The selected candidates have been instructed to get relieved from their parent departments and report to the transport department at the earliest.
They will undergo brief training sessions focused on department software systems and field procedures before being assigned to various district transport offices.
A government functionary said that by introducing personnel from departments traditionally seen as less exposed to field-level corruption, the move can dismantle entrenched networks of malpractice and restore public trust in the transport system. “The aim is simple to provide the best, quick and efficient services without any corruption to citizens and thus a background check has been done for all selected officials,” said an official, wishing not to be named. The applications for deputation were called in February.
